Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
CBC
WARNING: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence
More than 30 years after Nova Scotia was stunned by the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton, another of the three convicted killers has been granted full parole.
During a hearing Thursday, the board decided that 55-year-old Freeman MacNeil should receive a conditional release because his risk to reoffend is rated at low to moderate, his plan to reintegrate into society appears reasonable and the factors that contributed to his criminality remain low.
MacNeil, who was granted day parole in December 2022, told the hearing that he's "headed down the right path" and is doing what he needs to do to stay out of trouble.
At times, the hearing was tense as three victim impact statements were read aloud.
Paul Fagan, the older brother of victim Jimmy Fagan, described MacNeil as an uncaring "monster" lacking in remorse.
"These murders were so savage; four people shot execution style, multiple times, then stabbed, beaten with a shovel handle and a neck slashed," Fagan said in a strong voice occasionally interrupted by deep sobs.
"Jimmy was executed when he showed up an hour early for his work. What my family and the other families went through should not happen to any family, and having to relive this kind of horror show year after year has been very difficult."
For the entire hearing, shared via video link, MacNeil appeared calm as he sat motionless and looked straight ahead, his hands clasped in front of him on a table.
As is usual in parole board decisions, the names of the institutions where he has been were not released.
He told board members that he routinely meets with two groups that provide him with advice and emotional support, and he said he was looking forward to moving into a $600-a-month apartment, which he plans to pay for with money he's saved from a seasonal job he picked up while on day parole.
Board members said MacNeil showed no signs of aggression, impulsiveness or violence.
"I don't want to do anything that might bring me back here," MacNeil said. "I just want a simple life."
On May 7, 1992, MacNeil and two other men — Derek Wood and Darren Muise, both 18 — broke into the fast-food restaurant in Sydney River, N.S., after closing time. Their plan was to steal money from a safe and prevent any of the overnight staff from leaving before they made their getaway.
A company largely owned by the French and U.K. governments is pitching Canada on a roughly $250-million plan to provide the military with secure satellite broadband coverage in the Arctic, CBC News has learned.
The Ontario government has filed a lawsuit against a company it contracted to run a student mental health program, alleging fraudulent misrepresentation and seeking to recoup more than $25 million in public money.
The cost of road construction projects paid for by the Newfoundland and Labrador government has nearly doubled in just six years.
As 1,000 or so Algoma Steel workers prepare to get laid off in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., this March, many of them will be focused on finding new employment in the region.
A Halifax sex offender who was sentenced to 4½ years in prison last month in a case involving a four-year-old girl has been released on bail as he awaits an appeal.
The new transitional housing project on Forest Hill Road in Fredericton is two weeks away from completion and some residents have already moved in to their new spaces.
When Gilbert Hajj walks through his family home in Baie-D'Urfé, Que., these days, he moves like someone navigating a maze — pointing to walls that are staying, those that are going, and spaces that will soon serve new purposes.
A former acquaintance of Elston Bostock says the disgraced Winnipeg police constable had a reputation for being a "hookup" and would routinely "fairy dust" partiers with white powdered drugs.
"So what do they teach you in university?"
Between central Alberta’s freezing winter temperatures and the recent closure of a drop-in centre run by a local harm-reduction group, Red Deer Public Library CEO Shelley Ross has seen an uptick in the number of homeless people spending time at the branches.
As Ali Marsman walks through the aisles of a newly reopened 80-year-old cinema in Hope, B.C., she tears up and laughs with happiness.
Diane Bouwman, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, said the disease can make you lose your confidence.
Fireguards are designed to protect people and communities by clearing land to slow the spread of wildfires.